Steve Jobs and Apple taught us that profit is not the ultimate goal, but rather a consequence of something greater.

One of the factors that make great companies so great is that they have processes that allow them to solve difficult problems again and again. These processes have developed over time as teams have successfully wrestled with a certain type of challenge. Eventually, people begin to say, "This is just how we do something around here." The problem develops when that team then has to solve a very different set of challenges. The processes that are such strengths can be crushing liabilities.

There are direct paths to a successful career. But there are plenty of indirect paths, too.

The best strategy is a balance between having a deliberate one, and a flexible, or emergent strategy.

If you defer investing your time and energy until you see that you need to, chances are it will already be too late.

Businesses want to think in terms of categories. Consumers want us to think in terms of their needs.

Many think of management as cutting deals and laying people off and hiring people and buying and selling companies. That's not management, that's deal making. Management is the opportunity to help people become better people. Practiced that way, it's a magnificent profession.